You know, this is the one conspiracy theory I totally buy. One of the shadiest f*ckers ever behind one of the shadiest scams in history suddenly croaks as he's about to go to jail? That's the kind of convenience only lots of money can buy.

You know, this is the one conspiracy theory I totally buy. One of the shadiest f*ckers ever behind one of the shadiest scams in history suddenly croaks as he's about to go to jail? That's the kind of convenience only lots of money can buy.

"With his death from a massive heart attack today, Ken Lay cheated justice.

And then some. Not only will the Enron founder not end his days in prison, but according to legal precedent, his entire case will be erased from the records.

That means that, in legal terms at least, Lay was never convicted, tried or even indicted for Enron misdeeds.

For Lay's estate, and his widow Linda, the positive implication of this grim day is that the government now has no means to collect on its forfeiture claim against Lay for $43.5 million."

"Mr. Lay's death effectively voids the guilty verdict against him, temporarily thwarting the federal government's efforts to seize his remaining real estate and financial assets, legal experts say. "The death of Mr. Lay in all likelihood will render the government's hard-fought victory null," said Christopher Bebel, a former federal prosecutor based here who specializes in securities fraud...
Any life insurance policies bought by Mr. Lay may also be shielded from federal seizure efforts since state laws normally cover such payments. While jurors found Mr. Lay guilty, his death may also complicate any efforts to go after life insurance proceeds, even if the original policies were acquired with ill-gotten gains."